BBC News app hits Samsung TVs

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The BBC has unveiled the latest platform for its popular BBC News app - connected Samsung TVs.

Speaking at an event at the BAFTA HQ in London, Ralph Rivera - the new director of future media at the BBC - described how the big screen platform fits into the BBC's online ethos of "One service, Ten products, Four screens".

Obviously, with BBC News already available through your browser via your PC, and on your smartphone or tablet using the already launched mobile apps (both iOS and Android), the TV app brings the service to the fourth screen.

The app grabs its content from the wealth of data already produced for the BBC website, and even allows you to read the full text stories - so it's not all just about video. It's designed to compliment the BBC news TV channel, not compete against it.

Rivera described how he saw the fourth screen, the TV, as just another computer and an outlet for more personal content.

"Is that really a TV?" he asked. "When it has a processor and storage in it, it actually looks like a computer but the big screen happens to be good at playing video.

"All of these things are computers, with different sized pieces of glass. What we want to do is provide experiences across the landscape."

Rivera confirmed that the app is built on HTML5 standards so, although Samsung has been selected as the launch partner for the service, it could be made available to other manufacturers in the future, although he refused to name names.

"It's actually a web delivered experience," he said. "So because of that any device that supports the specification can deliver the experience."

The service is live now and is available from the Samsung Apps Store, it will work on all 2010 and 2011 TVs and Blu-ray players.